Its Wise to Winterize Your Car
Vehicles, like people, need to be fully prepared for old
man winter. The obvious way to do this is to have your
car(s) fully winterized by a reputable, licensed auto
mechanic who should cover these steps:
- Flush out the cooling system and replace the
anti-freeze.
- Ensure your tires are in optimum condition.
- Replace the windshield wiper blades and fill the
reservoir with windshield washer fluid. (Did you know
you can ruin your wiper motor if you use it to clear
your window from ice or snow? Use your scraper/brush,
then gently tug the wipers from the window before you
turn them on.)
- Perform a full service (if your cars due) and renew
your inspection/emissions stickers if its 90 days or
less before yours expires.
- Clean the battery terminals, add water, and check
your batterys ability to hold a charge. If its been over
4 years since youve had a new battery, it will probably
need replaced.
- Check the heater, defroster(s), lights and brakes.
- Check timing belts.
Things you should do:
- Keep your cell phone fully charged.
- Keep your gas tank as full as possible to prevent
the gas lines from freezing.
- Check the air in your spare tire and keep a
flashlight and all tire-changing tools by it.
Use a tire gauge regularly as your tire pressure will
drop in cold weather.
- Keep an emergency kit in your car: a blanket, a
spare pair of clothes, extra gloves, boots, a small
shovel, a towel and either a bag of salt or kitty litter
for traction, if needed.
- Wash the car, especially the undercarriage, to
remove damaging road salt as often as possible.
by Don Donnie Ruff,
owner of Lou Dinatti Services, LLC
Donald "Donnie" Ruff, Owner
110 West Point Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-834-3470